Events

Francisco Oller '16 (San Juan, Puerto Rico) will give a motivational speech about how he overcame rejection and bullying to live a life filled with optimism and self-acceptance. Oller has Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease, which affects his coordination and motor abilities.

Co-sponsored by the Board of Programmers and the Freshman Common Reading Program

Past Events

Academic ConvocationDr. Keith W. Morton, professor of public and community service studies, was the featured speaker at Academic Convocation. In his talk, “Campus and Community,” he discussed the importance of community on campus and in the neighborhood, referring to the volunteer work by PC students in the Smith Hill neighborhood. Dr. Morton also touched upon the topics of community and meaningful work within the context of Outliers.

Becky Curran Motivational Speech

Film & Lecture/Q&AAmerican Bear: An Adventure in the Kindness of Strangers

New Students Get Their Copy of Outliers

Students in the Class of 2018 and transfer students at Providence College are reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success, during the summer, and will discuss it in August when they return to campus for orientation. An essay contest and online discussion will be featured as well. Read more.

Class of 2018 Common Reading: Outliers: The Story of Success

Outliers: The Story of Success, the runaway best-selling third book written by The New Yorker staff writer Malcolm Gladwell, has been selected as the Freshman Common Reading Program book for the 2014-15 academic year. It will be read by all incoming members of the Class of 2018 and new transfers.

About Outliers [from Gladwell.com]:There is a story that is usually told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on intelligence and ambition. Gladwell argues that the true story of success is very different, and that if we want to understand how some people thrive, we should spend more time looking around them--at such things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date. And in revealing that hidden logic, Gladwell presents a fascinating and provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential.

About the Author:Malcolm Gladwell has written five books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000), Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), Outliers: The Story of Success (2008), What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures (2009), a collection of his journalism, and David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (2013). All five books were on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Born in England and raised in Canada, Gladwell came to the U.S. after receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, Trinity College. From 1987 to 1996, he worked as a reporter, covering business and science for the Washington Post, and was then appointed as the newspaper’s New York City bureau chief. Since 1996, Gladwell has been a staff writer with The New Yorker magazine. In 1999, his profile of Ron Popeil won a National Magazine Award, and, in 2005, Gladwell was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.

Point of View

"Various Gladwell titles were recommended, but Outliers seemed like the best fit for PC. There is a chapter for everyone, so we hope students from all the disciplines will find something interesting in it."

Dr. Marcy ZipkeAssociate Professor of Education

"This book is accessible and a wonderful exercise in critical engagement in material. It shows us that we need to probe deeper into things we take for granted. His approach demonstrates to us the importance of asking further questions."